CCC Cross Reference:
Jn 17 2604, 2746, 2758; Jn 17:1 730, 1085, 2750; Jn 17:2 2750; Jn 17:3 217, 684, 1721, 1996, 2751, Sans; Jn 17:4 1069, 2750; Jn 17:5 2750; Jn 17:6-10 2751; Jn 17:6 589, 2750, 2750, 2812; Jn 17:7 2765; Jn 17:8 2812; Jn 17:9 2750; Jn 17:10 2750; Jn 17:11 2747, 2749, 2750, 2750, 2815, 2849
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Reading 1
Acts 20:17-27
From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
“You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.
“But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 68:10-11, 20-21
R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Jn 17:1-11a
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Acts 20:17 – 27
From Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus. When they arrived he addressed these words to them:
‘You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.
‘And now you see me a prisoner already in spirit; I am on my way to Jerusalem, but have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear enough that imprisonment and persecution await me. But life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.
‘I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67(68):10-11,20-21
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
You poured down, O God, a generous rain:
when your people were starved you gave them new life.
It was there that your people found a home,
prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
May the Lord be blessed day after day.
He bears our burdens, God our saviour.
This God of ours is a God who saves.
The Lord our God holds the keys of death.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel John 17:1 – 11
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may glorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
to know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth
and finished the work that you gave me to do.
Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me
with that glory I had with you
before ever the world was.
I have made your name known
to the men you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know
that all you have given me comes indeed from you;
for I have given them the teaching you gave to me,
and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,
and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine,
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.
Holy Father,
keep those you have given me true to your name,
so that they may be one like us.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter
From: Acts 20:17-27
Speech of farewell to the elders of Ephesus
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[17] And from Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. [18] And when they came to him he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, [19] serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews; [20] how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, [21] testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. [22] And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there; [23] except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and inflictions await me. [24] But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. [25] And now, behold I know that all you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will see my face no more. 26] Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, [27] for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God."
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Commentary:
18-35. Paul's address to the elders of Ephesus is his third great discourse related in Acts (the others being his address to Jews in Pisidian Antioch--13:16ff--and to pagans at Athens--17:22ff). It is, as it were, an emotional farewell to the churches which he had founded.
The address divides into two parts. The first (vv. 18-27) is a brief resume of Paul's life of dedication to the church of Ephesus, which he founded and directed, with hints of the difficulties which he expects to meet in the immediate future. Two parallel sections (vv. 18-21 and 26-27) frame the central passages of this section (vv. 22-25).
In the second section the Apostle speaks movingly about the mission and role of elders. Two series of recommendations (vv. 28-31 and 33-35) hinge on the central verse (v. 32).
The pathos, vigor and spiritual depth of the discourse clearly show that it is Paul who is speaking. Here we have the Paul of the letters addressing a community which has already been evangelized, and inviting them to get to know their faith better and practise it better.
18-20. Paul is not embarrassed to set himself as an example of how to serve God and the disciples in the cause of the Gospel (cf. 1 Cor 11:1). He has worked diligently, steadily, out of love for Jesus Christ and the brethren, doing his duty, conscious that this kind of patient, persevering work is the way of perfection and holiness that God expects him to follow.
The Apostle has learned to imitate Christ both in his public life and in the long years of his hidden life, ever deepening in his love. In this connection, St Francis de Sales writes: "Those are spiritually greedy who never have enough of exercises of devotion, so keen are they, they say, to attain perfection; as if perfection consisted in the amount of things we do and not in the perfection with which we do them. [...] God has not made perfection to lie in the number of acts we do to please him, but in the way in which we do them: that way is to do the little we have to do according to our calling, that is, to do it in love, through love and for love" ("Sermon on the first Sunday of Lent").
St Catherine of Siena understood our Lord to say to her something along the same lines: "I reward every good which is done, great or small, according to the measure of the love of him who receives the reward" ("Dialogue", chap. 68).
As in his letters, Paul associates the idea of service with humility (cf. 2 Cor 10:1; 1 Thess 2:6), tears (cf. Rom 9:2; Phil 3:18) and fortitude to keep on working despite persecution (cf. 2 Cor 11:24; 1 Thess 2:14-16). The Apostle's true treasure is humility, for it allows him to discover his shortcomings and at the same time teaches him to rely on God's strength. As St Teresa says, "The truly humble person will have a genuine desire to be thought little of, and condemned unjustly, even in serious matters. For, if she desires to imitate the Lord, how can she do so better than in this? And no bodily strength is necessary here, nor the aid of anyone but God " ("Way of Perfection", l5, 2).
21. This very brief summary of Paul's preaching to Jews and pagans mentions repentance and faith as inseparable elements in the new life Jesus confers on Christians. "It is good to know", Origen writes, "that we will be judged at the divine judgment seat not on our faith alone, as if we had not to answer for our conduct; nor on our conduct alone, as if our faith were not to be scrutinized. What justifies is our uprightness on both scores, and if we are short on either we shall deserve punishment" ("Dialogue with Heraclides", 8).
The presence of grace and faith in the soul equips it to fight the Christian fight, which ultimately leads to rooting out sins and defects. "From the very day faith enters your soul," Origen also says, "battle must be joined between virtues and vices. Prior to the onslaught of the Word, vices were at peace within you, but from the moment the Word begins to judge them one by one, a great turmoil arises and a merciless war begins. 'For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity?' (2 Cor 6:14)" ("In Ex Hom.", III, 3).
22. The Apostle is convinced that God is guiding his steps and watching over him like a father; but he is also unsure about what lies ahead: this uncertainty about the future is part of the human condition. "Grace does not work on its own. It respects men in the actions they take, it influences them, it awakens and does notentirely dispel their restlessness" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on Acts", 37).
"The true minister of Christ is conscious of his own weakness and labors in humility. He searches to see what is well-pleasing to God (cf. Eph 5:10) and, bound as it were in the Spirit (cf. Acts 20:22), he is guided in all things by the will of him who wishes all men to be saved He is able to discover and carry out that will in the course of his daily routine" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 15).
23. "No man, whether he be a Christian or not, has an easy life. To be sure, at certain times it seems as though everything goes as we planned. But this generally lasts for only a short time. Life is a matter of facing up to difficulties and of experiencing in our hearts both joy and sorrow. It is in this forge that a person can acquire fortitude, patience, magnanimity and composure [...].
"Naturally, the difficulties we meet in our daily lives will not be as great or as numerous as St Paul encountered. We will, however, discover our own meanness and selfishness, the sting of sensuality, the useless, ridiculous smack of pride, and many other failings besides: so very many weaknesses. But are we to give in to discouragement? Not at all. Together with St Paul, let us tell our Lord, 'For the sake of Christ, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong' (2 Cor 12:10)" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 17, 212).
24. Paul has come to love Jesus Christ so much that he gives himself no importance: he sees his life as having no meaning other than that of doing what God wants him to do (cf. 2 Cor 4:7; Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24). He sees holiness as a constant, uninterrupted striving towards his encounter with the Lord; and all the great Fathers of the Church have followed him in this: "On the subject of virtue," St Gregory of Nyssa, for example, writes, "we have learned from the Apostle himself that the only limit to perfection of virtue is that there is no limit. This fine, noble man, this divine Apostle, never ceases, when running on the course of virtue, to 'strain forward to what lies ahead' (Phil 3:13). He realizes it is dangerous to stop. Why? Because all good, by its very nature, is unlimited: its only limit is where it meets its opposite: thus, the limit of life is death, of light darkness, and in general of every good its opposite. Just as the end of life is the beginning of death, so too if one ceases to follow the path of virtue one is beginning to follow the path of vice" ("On the Life of Moses", I, 5).
26. "He considers himself innocent of the blood of the disciples because he has not neglected to point out to them their defects" (St Bede, "Super Act Expositio, ad loc.") Paul not only preached the Gospel to them and educated them in the faith: he also corrected their faults, putting into practice the advice he gave to the Galatians: "if any man trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted" (Gal 6:1). "A disciple of Christ will never treat anyone badly. Error he will call error, but the person in error he will correct with kindness. Otherwise he will not be able to help him, to sanctify him" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 9).
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From: John 17:1-11a
The Priestly Prayer of Jesus
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[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted His eyes to Heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, [2] since Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom Thou hast given Him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. [4] I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou gavest Me to do; [5] and now, Father, glorify Thou Me in Thy own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made.
[6] "I have manifested Thy name to the men who Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. [7] Now they know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee; [8] for I have given them the words which Thou gavest Me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from Thee; and they have believed that thou didst send Me. [9] I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; [10] all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them. [11a] And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to Thee."
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Commentary:
1-26. At the end of the discourse of the Last Supper (Chapters 13-16) begins what is called the Priestly Prayer of Jesus, which takes up all of Chapter 17. Itis given that name because Jesus addresses His Father in a very moving dialogue in which, as Priest, He offers Him the imminent sacrifice of His passion and death. It shows us the essential elements of His redemptive mission and provides us with teaching and a model for our own prayer. "The Lord, the Only-begotten and co-eternal with the Father, could have prayed in silence if necessary, but He desired to show Himself to the Father in the attitude of a supplicant because He is our Teacher. [...] Accordingly this prayer for His disciples was useful not only to those who heard it, but to all who would read it" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 104, 2).
The Priestly Prayer consists of three parts: in the first (verses 1-5) Jesus asks for the glorification of His holy human nature and the acceptance, by His Father, of His sacrifice on the cross. In the second part (verses 6-19) He prays for His disciples, whom He is going to send out into the world to proclaim the redemption which He is now about to accomplish. And then (verses 20-26) He prays for unity among all those who will believe in Him over the course of the centuries until they achieve full union with Him in Heaven.
1-5. The word "glory" here refers to the splendor, power and honor which 'belong to God'. The Son is God equal to the Father, and from the time of His Incarnation and birth and especially through His death and resurrection His divinity has been made manifest. "We have beheld His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father" (John 1:14). The glorification of Jesus has three dimensions to it. 1) It promotes the glory of the Father, because Christ, in obedience to God's redemptive decree (cf. Philippians 2:6), makes the Father known and so brings God's saving work to completion. 2) Christ is glorified because His divinity, which He has voluntarily disguised, will eventually be manifested through His human nature which will be seen after the Resurrection invested with the very authority of God Himself over all creation (verses 2, 5). 3) Christ, through His glorification, gives man the opportunity to attain eternal life, to know God the Father and Jesus Christ, His only Son: this in turn redounds to the glorification of the Father and of Jesus Christ while also involving man's participation in divine glory (verse 3).
"The Son glorifies You, making You known to all those You have given Him. Furthermore, if the knowledge of God is life eternal, we the more tend to life, the more we advance in this knowledge. [...] There shall the praise of God be without end, where there shall be full knowledge of God; and because in Heaven this knowledge shall be full, there shall glorifying be of the highest" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 105, 3).
6-8. Our Lord has prayed for Himself; now He prays for His Apostles, who will continue His redemptive work in the world. In praying for them, Jesus describes some of the prerogatives of those who will form part of the Apostolic College.
First, there is the prerogative of being chosen by God: "Thine they were...". God the Father chose them from all eternity (cf. Ephesians 1:3-4) and in due course Jesus revealed this to them: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 3:13-19; Matthew 10:1-42). These apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 19). Also, the Apostles enjoy the privilege of hearing God's teaching direct from Jesus. From this teaching, which they accept with docility, they learn that Jesus came from the Father and that therefore He is God's envoy (verse 8): that is, they are given to know the relationships that exist between the Father and the Son.
The Christian, who also is a disciple of Jesus, gradually acquires knowledge of God and of divine things through living a life of faith and maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
"Recalling this human refinement of Christ, who spent His life in the service of others, we are doing much more than describing a pattern of human behavior; we are discovering God. Everything Christ did has a transcendental value. It shows us the nature of God and beckons us to believe in the love of God who created us and wants us to share His intimate life" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 109).
11-19. Jesus now asks the Father to give His disciple four things--unity, perseverance, joy and holiness. By praying Him to keep them in His name (verse 11) He is asking for their perseverance in the teaching He has given them (cf. verse 6) and in communion with Him. An immediate consequence of this perseverance is unity: "that they may be one, even as We are one"; this unity which He asks for His disciples is a reflection of the unity of the Three Divine Persons.
He also prays that none of them should be lost, that the Father should guard and protect them, just as He Himself protected them while He was with them. Thirdly, as a result of their union with God and perseverance they will share in the joy of Christ (verse 13): in this life, the more we know God and the more closely we are joined to Him, the happier will we be; in eternal life our joy will be complete, because our knowledge and love of God will have reached its climax.
Finally, He prays for those who, though living in the world, are not of the world, that they may be truly holy and carry out the mission He has entrusted to them, just as He did the work His Father gave Him to do.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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